J Street News Roundup 8/11/2014

August 11th, 2014

J Street works to promote an open, honest and rigorous conversation about Israel. The opinions reflected in articles posted in the News Roundup do not necessarily reflect J Street's positions, and their posting does not constitute an endorsement from J Street.

J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote, “Even when the guns of war fall silent, the occupation continues, and the underlying conflict remains unresolved. Our work for peace – rooted in the two-state solution – must move forward with ever greater urgency.”

J Street U Director Ira Stup noted that “young Americans have grown up with Israel as an incredible superpower in the region, and with occupation and intifada… Young Americans often have a vision of Israel vis-a-vis Palestine that is more in line with what is going on now.”

J Street Rabbinic Cabinet Co-Chair Rabbi John Rosove urged, “Israel and moderate Palestinians need to reboot after a ceasefire is attained, and get back to the negotiating table with the support of the United States, the Arab League and the Quartet.”

In Israel, J Street U Wesleyan Co-Chair Emily Greenspan said, “As much as I hate the bloodshed and the ignorance that is tearing apart the land I love, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else this summer.”

A 72-hour ceasefire agreed upon by Israel and Hamas took effect at midnight Sunday night, while an Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo to continue indirect negotiations for a more permanent truce with Palestinian factions. Israel had previously announced it would not negotiate under fire. The head of the Palestinian delegation, Azzam Ahmed, said Sunday that unless Israel agreed to return to the talks without preconditions, the delegation would leave Cairo. Israel struck more than 25 targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and some 60 the day before. Rocket fire from Gaza toward Israeli communities persisted until minutes before the ceasefire began.

President Obama tells Thomas Friedman, “In some ways, [Prime Minister Netanyahu] is too strong [and] in some ways [President Abbas] is too weak to bring them together and make the kinds of bold decisions that Sadat or Begin or Rabin were willing to make. It’s going to require leadership among both the Palestinians and the Israelis to look beyond tomorrow… And that’s the hardest thing for politicians to do is to take the long view on things.”

In an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, Hillary Clinton backed Israel’s right to defend itself, criticized the international community for its “uncalled for and unfair” response to the Gaza crisis, and discussed her involvement in past peace negotiations.

“The current Israeli and Palestinian leadership may not see a way out, but I refuse to see endless conflict as a fait accompli,” says Daniel Kurtzer. “There is a pathway forward that could translate the fighting in Gaza into something meaningful and positive. Lasting peace demands a creative, multipronged approach."

Roger Cohen writes, “It will take immense courage now for Israelis who wrestle with their consciences to raise their voices for a two-state peace — and just as much for Palestinians to engage in open self-criticism of disastrous choices. The next time hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets for cheap housing, they should draw a connection between that demand and the billions spent on the occupation. An Israeli zealot killed Yitzhak Rabin. He cannot be allowed to kill Rabin’s last endeavor.”

Conflicting reports came in from Cairo of a Palestinian draft agreement to be presented to Israel late Saturday. A Palestinian official said that as part of the agreement, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority would take control of the Rafah Crossing. Hamas' demand of opening a sea port in Gaza would be postponed and deferred to the PA, which would in turn negotiate the matter with Israel. Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian official criticized Hamas for setting conditions for a ceasefire - such as a sea port or an airport – instead of insisting on a formula that would lead to a Palestinian state.

Former Israeli national security advisor Yaakov Amidror said that Abbas is too weak to regain control over Gaza, leaving Israel with the option of either recapturing part of the Strip or learning to live with a low-level war of attrition.

The brother of a Palestinian man arrested as the ringleader of a terror cell that kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teens in June, suspected of funding the attack, has fostered deep Hamas ties since being deported to Gaza, Palestinian security sources said.

An 11-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli troops in the southern West Bank on Sunday. It followed two consecutive days of clashes in the area between Israeli troops and Palestinians protesting against Israel’s ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.

More than 15,000 Muslim Brotherhood supporters gathered at a pro-Hamas rally in Jordan's capital on Friday, with many chanting "death to Israel" and urging the militant Palestinian group to step up rocket salvos against Israeli towns and cities.

According to Uri Savir, while Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are concerned about the radicalizing effect that the Gaza crisis has had on the Palestinian public, they may see a way forward for a “transitory agreement” with Israel.

J Street New York City Co-Chair Talia Benamy writes in a letter that “by engaging in sincere diplomacy that promotes and supports moderate Palestinian factions, Israel can at least attempt to help pave the way toward peace, and it can try to avoid the need for more war.”

Jeff Pozmantier warns that “while Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other allied militant groups can’t defeat Israel militarily and Israel is fully capable of continuing to manage their threats, Israel’s future is far less bright if it tries to survive and thrive as a fortress nation.”

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